Somatoform
by Usemychopsticks
Summary: Skyfire is a disease.


Title: Somatoform

Characters: Starscream, Megatron, Skywarp, Thundercracker.

Summary: Skyfire is a disease.

Rating: K+

Prompt: Ghost of Christmas Past

Notes: Written for tf_speedwriting Advent Calendar.

* * *

_23491900991-The Board of Scientific Education_

_Flyers Starscream and Skyfire sent out for planetary exploration in the vein of discovering both new life and resources to better the foundation of Cybertron and it inhabitants. Flyer Skyfire lost on expedition with flyer Starscream suggesting a rescue attempt. Rescue attempt not recommended to unknown circumstances and factors. Recommendation is to keep flyer Starscream from any further missions until notified._

_-u-_

Starscream is destined for far greater than menial lab work, but none the less he finds himself measuring mere isotopes and peering through microscopes once again. He's also alone. Nobody likes him, not the snobby seeker who holds himself so far above the rest, and he takes this as a sign of their jealousy and his superiority.

"Primus what an aft" they're talking again. Stupid fools, he can hear them just fine.

"I know right, thinks he's such a hot shot"

"No wonder that guy doesn't have any friends" _Idiot. _Starscream doesn't require friendship.

"Not like he's ever going to get any now. Not after that thing with…" Starscream tunes them out and focuses on his specimen more intently.

"Can you believe…"

"No one was there…"

"Selfish frag…"

"The only have official reports…"

Starscream's heard this conversation before. Rehashed, revised, and repeated. And he knows full well how much the official report leaves to the imagination. This doesn't bother him, Starscream is too proud to let it.

After a while though, he thinks upon the cold weather and the hard metal white, crashing into the soft fluffy white of the ground and his wish to fix it all becomes more selfish by the minute.

_-u-_

_#4919200393-Military Transfer_

_By order of the Board of Scientific Education, as approved by the senate and the military board, flyer Starscream is to report to his new quarters in the Cybertronian war academy for training to combat the growing war resistance. No personal belongings shall be allowed, and any found will be confiscated and destroyed._

_-u-_

"What kind of paintjob is that?" Skywarp laughs, and Starscream thinks he's an idiot.

"Warp, shut up" Thundercracker is slightly better, but Starscream dislikes him through mere association.

"TC look at it! White, red, and blue, seriously?" the purple seeker points and Starscream huffs.

"It's far better than looking like—"

"Holy slag, your voice!"

Starscream grinds his teeth.

"Skywarp…"

"I'm serious, just listen to him. Holy slag, do you naturally sound like that, or did someone drop you as a protoform?"

He's stuck with this two for the entire duration his reluctant academic military career, and after he finds as soon as they join the Decepticons. Starscream just considers this another tally against Skyfire.

_-u-_

_Decoded message intercepted through Autobot Communications:_

_#5391010292-The Head of the Scientific Board found dead in bombing._

_Further advancement on technology and weaponry against the Decepticons is postponed until Perceptor arrives back from Polyhex._

_-u-_

"It should've been you" Megatron doesn't mean this kindly, but he's right Starscream could have—should have—gotten the position.

"I'm destined for far greater than that menial position the Autobots hold so highly"

"Pity, it might have saved me from your menial takeovers," his lord smiles, "it's just too bad about you being shafted to the labs"

Starscream doesn't say anything, and watches the city burn.

_-u-_

_Infect: to taint or contaminate with something that affects quality, character, or condition unfavourably. _

_-u-_

Starscream gathers what he can about Earth—because Skywarp knows more than him, at the moment, through sheer culture osmosis and Primus curse him if his teammate is more knowledgeable than him on anything—and he likens his old partner to an invisible wound. No one could see, but he was there, lingering, and festering beyond all control, and Starscream stopped trying to find a cure long ago.

Skyfire contaminated everything. His life, his ambitions, his very being. The seeker decides this is what friendships are like. That he should have done the same before it infected him so long ago.

So when they find him buried under a heap of ice, he cuts him off when the times comes. Gets rid of the abomination that has been affecting him long after he should've left.

Starscream does this and for the first time he feels clean.


End file.
